Underwater power tool



Sept. 23, 1969 5. J. PENZA UNDERWATER POWER TOOL Filed May 29, 1968 INVENTOR. SALVATORE J. PENZA BY M %q A TTORNEYS United States Patent 3,468,385 UNDERWATER POWER TOOL Salvatore J. Penza, 2430 S. M St., Oxnard, Calif. 93030 Filed May 29, 1968, Ser. No. 732,923 Int. Cl. E21c 1/02; B23q 5/06; F03b 1/04 US. Cl. 173-159 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for transforming energy from a high pressure fluid source into tool manipulating movement at an underwater location. It includes a fluid receiving body to which the fluid is admitted by a manually controllable fluid flow valve and a movable tool supporting member which is driven by the reaction force of the fluid as it is discharged into the ambient water. Means is provided to also ut lize the high pressure fluid reaction force to urge the tool into contact with the work.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates in general to underwater power equipment and in particular to a power drill employed in underwater activities which utilizes high pressure envlronmental water to rotate the drill.

Description of the prior art Various devices have been employed as underwater tools including drills, screwdrivers, hammers and the like. These devices are powered primarily by either electrical or pneumatic means and as such have been moderately successful in performance. However all such prior art tools have inherent disadvantages which seriously impair their value as underwater tools. For example, they must be protected against the external pressure exerted by the surrounding water. Furthermore pneumatic tools require an increasing volume of gas as the depth of operation increases. Unfortunately as more gas is required in operating the tool, an increase in bubble production occurs as the gas is released from the equipment which obscures the tool operators vision and also alerts any possible enemy who may be lurking in the immediate vicinity. The use of electrical equipment creates a particular problem in that the hazard of electrical shock is always present. This requires undue care to be employed with the use of electrically powered tools and seriously impairs their value. Despite the fact that many of the prior devices employed as underwater power equipment are a definite advance over the utilization of hand powered tools, they are not in general use because of cost, inflexibility, maintenance problems and vulnerability to environmental conditions.

SUMMARY The present underwater power source includes a tubular body with a rotatable tool operating head attached thereto. A series of inclined peripheral nozzles in the drill head serve as a means of exhausting high pressure water pumped into the body. As the water is exhausted, a rotational movement is imparted to the head thus driving any drill or other attached tool. Other nozzles may be located on the body to counteract the torque caused by rotation of the head and to aid in applying pressure to the work.

Since the invention utilizes environmental water as the 3,468,385 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 power source, the danger of electrical shock, and the production of vision obscuring bubbles are obviated. Also the present device requires little maintenance because environmental water is used as the power source.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved fluid pressure activated driving means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a driving means utilizing environmental water as the power transmitting medium.

A further object is to provide an underwater power device in which air bubbles during tool operation are eliminated.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an underwater source having improved stabilizing and pressure applying means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and trouble free underwater power source.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view through the device of FIG. 1 taken along a line substantially corresponding to line 22 of FIGURE 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts, there is shown an elongate hollow body 10 having one or more spaced handles 12 connected to the exterior surface 14. One of the handles 12 has a channel extending the full length thereof which opens into the chamber 18 formed within the interior of the tubular casing 10 substantially as shown in the drawing. A high pressure hose 20 is attached to the outer end of the handle 12 and is adapted to deliver high pressure water to chamber 18 via the channeled handle 12 to which it is attached. A finger controlled trigger valve 22 mounted on the handle 12 controls the flow of high pressure water forced into the casing chamber 18.

An axial and hollow shaft 24 is centrally positioned at the forward end 26 of casing 10 and may be mounted for rotational movement within a radial bearing 28. Outer end 30 of shaft 24 extends a suitable distance forward of the casing 10 and an inner end 32 opens into the casing chamber 18. A hollow tool head 34 is detachably mounted on the outer end 30 of shaft 24 and has a plurality of spaced and inclined nozzles 36 tangentially located at the periphery thereof through which the high pressure water is exhausted from the apparatus. The exhausting operation causes the head 34 and its supporting shaft 24 to rotate which in turn will also rotate any tool chuck 38 attached to the outer surface of the head.

A flange 40 attached to the inner end 32 of shaft 24 is sandwiched between thrust bearings 40 and 42 which cooperate with bearing 28 to allow free rotation of shaft 24 and at the same time maintain the same geometrical position thereof. A seal 44 positioned just forward of bearing 42 prevents leakage of water from the rotating head.

Nozzle 46 positioned in the aft end 48 of casing 10 permits a controlled quantity of water to be exhausted at this point in order to urge the power source and attached tool towards the work. This helps to provide reaction forces which affect handling clue to the submerged operators nearly weightless condition. This nozzle 46 may be adjustable to vary the flow and hence the pressure applied to the work.

The operation of the present invention is as follows: high pressure water may be supplied from a suitable source (not shown) through the hose 20 and handle 12 where the flow is controlled by finger valve 22 as it empties into the casing chamber 18. The water passes through the hollow shaft 24 into drill head 34 where it is exhausted through the tangentially inclined peripheral nozzles 36 thereby causing the head to rotate and in turn causing any tool attached to the head to also rotate.

The finger valve 22 manually controls the flow of high pressure water into the chamber 18, and thus controls the speed at which the drill head will rotate since the thrust of nozzles 36 is dependent upon the flow of high pressure water therefrom.

Nozzle 46 provides thrust in the direction of operation and urges the tool toward the work.

Other nozzles may be placed at convenient locations on casing to provide counteracting thrust to the rotational torque created by the drill head 34. If desired reduction gearing or reverse gearing may be incorporated between the shaft 24 and drill head 34 to increase the torque or reverse the direction of rotation.

It will be apparent that by making the opening in nozzle 46 variable the pressure applied to the work by the tool can be changed in accordance with the needs of work being performed.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid pressure actuated driving means for an underwater power tool comprising:

a body having a pressurized fluid receiving chamber therein;

conduit means for delivering pressurized fluid to said chamber;

a fluid actuated member in communication with said chamber to receive pressurized fluid therefrom; means for exhausting said fluid to impart movement to said member;

said fluid exhausting means including a plurality of fluid dispensing nozzles communicating from the interior of said member to disperse fluid into the ambient water outside of said member;

said nozzles being canted so as to impart tool actuating movement upon emergence of pressurized fluid therefrom.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the pressurized fluid comprises environmental fluid.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the fluid actuated member in communication with the fluid receiving chamber is mounted for rotational movement.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the fluid actuating member is provided with pressurized fluid discharging nozzles tangentially mounted to impart rotary movement to said member.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein a portion of the pressurized fluid is emitted in a direction opposite to the direction of tool approachment to the work to thereby urge the tool into work approachment.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the conduit means for delivering pressurized fluid to the interior of the body includes a handle portion whereby the device may be manipulated.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein manually operable control means is provided in said handle portion to regulate the admission of pressurized fluid into the interior of said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 890,065 6/1908 Kellow 173159 2,538,969 l/ll Kessler 173-159 2,710,980 6/1955 Fletcher 253-33 X NILE C. BYERS, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

